


The Road Home

by Grumkle_Mumkle



Category: Gravity Falls, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Kid Tony, M/M, Stan is a surprisingly okay father, The Father of Iron and Mystery au, jimmy isn't exactly bad but he's not good either, tony is cute and sassy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-28 11:19:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11416863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grumkle_Mumkle/pseuds/Grumkle_Mumkle
Summary: Stan was on a time limit and Tony just wanted to get back home. Throw in a couple of bad people who were after them, a drug smuggling scheme, and the sights to see across America and you got yourself an adventure.





	The Road Home

It had all started in Butternut. A rather strange place to start a story, considering it was a small town in the middle of upper Wisconsin. A small village really, based on the map from 1967 that had somehow made its way into the El Diablo’s glove compartment. There was really no reason to actually be in Butternut to begin with, yet somehow Stan Pines- ahem, Steve Pinington- managed to be heading right in the middle of it.

It wasn’t to say that Butternut was a bad town. This place had to have been a perfect representation of the normal American town Stan had ever seen in his life. He’d seen the pictures to prove it. There were suburbs where happy families had barbecues and cook outs on warm summer days. There was a church that stood high over the town, the morals and values of the good ol’ Christian faith looking over them at all times. The schools were filled with children who would grow up together, forming tightly knit packs that would follow them into their college years and eventually into adulthood as they paired off and had families of their own. Everyone knew everyone by name and it would be that way until the very end. It really was… _perfect_.

Stan knew better.

Happy lives just didn’t exist, not in real life. In real life, there was pain and secrets and heart ache. In real life, no one wanted to know your name because no one wanted to be sucked into the shit show you call a life. There was no group of friends that stuck with you through thick and thin, only people you knew who eventually move on when they found something new. There was no family that loved you no matter what you did and how many mistakes you made because sometimes you fucked up beyond belief and there’s just _no fixing it you stupid fucking mistake…_

Maybe that was just Stan’s bitterness talking. But you didn’t get to be where he was without having a little bit of bitterness.

_“ Well, I don’t know why I came here tonight, I got the feeling that something ain’t right…”_

This songs again? Stan groans, flicking his cigarette bud at the man sitting in the passenger’s seat.

“Jimmy, if ya play this song again, I swear I’m gonna throw ya out the fucking car.”

Well, he did have one friend to think of. Jimmy Snakes had been with him since Stan first been out on his own, taking the young boxer under his wing and showing him the way through this horrible world. It was safe to say that Jimmy was best goddamn friend and a damn good lover while Stan was at it. 

“Aw, come on Stan, don’t be like that.” Jimmy said, taking the bud and tossing it out the window before it could burn his leather jacket. “You know you like this song.” 

A grin took over Stan’s face, but he didn’t comment. He did like this song, Steelers Wheel had really hit the mark on a song that was both catchy and probably had some deeper hippy meaning to it. Seriously though, to listen to it six times in the span of a few hours was excessive. They really needed a new tape to listen to. 

“Yeah, but ya listened to it six times already Jim.” Stan said, shaking his head and lifting another cigarette to his lips. “Either turn that shit off or find another tape.”

Jimmy makes a face, taking the tape out of the record player and looking through the few that they had. There weren’t many and Jimmy knew exactly what was on each tape, but he was stalling because he did not want to listen to the _Captain & Tennille_ any more times than necessary. He grumbled when that exact tape was taken out of his hands and put into the tape player and groaned when the sound of “Love Will Keep Us Together” started to play. 

**_“Stan.”_ **

This was definitely going to be a long drive.

* * *

 

When they finally reach their destination, they’ve been through each tape about three times each and listened to six hours of Christian radio just to talk shit about it. Stan’s been through three cartons of cigarettes and fourteen cups of coffee while Jimmy laid on his ass because he can’t drive a car Stan, he’s only used to his bike. 

“Used to my bike my ass,” Stan grumbled, taking a sip of his fifteenth cup of Joe in three days. “Lazy prick.”

Jimmy snorts in his sleep, almost as if he was responding, and turns onto his side. It makes the other scowl and flip him off. And as if it were a gift from the gods themselves, a flickering red light appears in the darkness, reflecting off of the diablo’s shiny hood. Driving closer to the light reveals the most beautiful thing Stan had ever seen.

The Salty Dog Motel.

It was there and looked incredibly shitty, but Stan would sleep on a park bench at this point- although he’d already done that and it wasn’t very comfortable at all. Pulling to a stop at the shabby looking motel, he sighed softly and cut the engine to the diablo. Jimmy was still asleep in the front seat and Stan decided that he would be just fine on his own. Stan however had deserved a one night- _all expenses paid_ , he thought as he stole Jimmy’s wallet stay at The Salty Dog Motel.

Safe to say that The Salty Dog was a real dump. When he opened the door, the little bell on top did not ring. There was a water spot on the ceiling right above it, engorged and leaking from a small crack at the bottom. It leaked onto the bell, rusting it from the inside out. The sight made Stan grimace, but he didn’t comment as he walked to the front desk and rapped his nails on the wooden surface. He knew there was… someone sitting at the desk, but he couldn’t tell the gender behind the large papers in front of their face. 

“Uh, hello?”

Slowly, almost eerily, the paper lowered and Stan could see a plain looking man sitting behind them. For a moment he was reminded of Stanford, but the thought left as quickly as it came. There was no use crying over spilt milk after all. The fact that Stanford hadn’t talked to him in six years didn’t even bother him anymore, or at least that was what he liked to tell himself. He simply smiled at the man who looked at him with an almost frightening intensity.

“Uh hey,” A quick glance at the name plaque to learn his name. “Merton? I’m looking to rent a room for the night.” 

The man continues to stare at him with those intense eyes; staring into his soul and Stan clears his throat. Who was this guy? Stan is pretty sure he doesn’t owe him money or anything. The guy is fucking creepy, sure, but Stan highly doubted that he’d be involved in any kind of shady shit. Despite this, Stan still manages to feel very uncomfortable. 

“There’s a room available.” Merton finally says in a tone that was way too soft to be his real voice. “But I will have to ask that you be quiet. Mother is asleep after all.” 

Almost without thinking, Stan pictures a dead mother and Merton wearing her skin as clothing. He chases the image away with a small scoff because now he was just thinking nonsense. There’s no way that was happening.

“Thanks.” Stan said with a smile as he pulls out Jimmy’s wallet. He takes out a small stack of cash, knowing it would be more than enough to pay for the room and the top of the line porno he was definitely not gonna watch while he was there. “Here ya go.”

Merton gave him a smile that chilled his bones and handed him a key, taking the cash and putting it into a box. With a small wave of his hand, Stan turned around and nearly ran to his room. Yeesh, this guy gave him the creeps. Pushing the man out of his mind was easy once he saw the beautiful room waiting for him. It was definitely old and definitely dirty as shit, but there was an actual bed waiting for him and Stan wasn’t taking that fact for granted.

“Comfort city here I come.” He mumbled as he turned on the TV.

He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

The next morning they’re on the road again and Jimmy is the one driving this time, despite his complaints and pleading not to. 

“You could have at least left me ten for gas.” Jimmy grumbled, bruised knuckles wrapped around the steering wheel. 

He had to reduce himself to beating some wimp up outside of a gas station just to fill the Diablo up. Now Jimmy was a lot of things, but a common criminal wasn’t one of them. He was a big dog and big dogs did not dip their feet into petty theft. 

“Where’s the fun in that?” Stan asked with a grin, feet up and looking relaxed. “Plus, ya owe me considering all the driving I did.”

Rather than taking a plane like Stan had wanted, Jimmy made him drive from Arizona to Wisconsin without an explanation. Strangely enough, he still hasn’t gotten more than a few words about the newest plan Jimmy had concocted. 

“What are we even gonna be doing in Butternut anyway?” He asked the other, not really expecting much of an answer. 

Jimmy went quiet in an almost concerning way. It made something in Stan’s stomach drop. Just what did Jimmy drag him into?

“You’ll see.” 

There wasn’t any conversation after that.

* * *

“What the _fuck_ Jimmy?”

Butternut wasn’t as boring as he once thought. Who knew that underneath the plain, God loving town was… _this?_ Picking up a small, brick shaped bag wrapped in brown paper, Stan looked up at his partner with wide eyes. Jimmy couldn’t be serious.

“You seriously cannot be expecting me to be able to hide this in the fucking car!” Stan yelled, making the other men in the room glance at him.

There was no fucking way that Stan was sticking his neck out like this again. He’d landed himself in prison for a year for less than a quarter of this shit and now he was supposed to do this with no fucking problem?

“Stan, babe, trust me on this, okay?” Jimmy soothes, trying to calm Stan down. “I know this ain’t ideal, but think of all the cash we’ll make from this!”

Stan let out an angry sound, dropping the bag and glaring at Jimmy.

“You’re not the one who got caught last time.” He snapped, poking Jimmy’s chest with a finger. “You weren’t the one who spent a year in a Colombian prison!”

Jimmy tried not to sigh. Was Stan really still angry about that? It wasn’t like Jimmy had left him there for the full fifteen years he’d been sentenced to in the first place.

“I know, baby,” Jimmy murmured as he took Stan’s shoulders. “I’m sorry. But I swear that this  isn’t like that. I won’t let anything happen to you, I swear.”

He needed Stan to agree. Jimmy still needed to get his ass over the border and finish another job, he didn’t have time for Stan’s doubt.

“Look, you do this job and we can go to an island far away.” Jimmy murmured, sliding his hands from Stan’s shoulder’s to his waist and pulling him close. “We can get a house on the beach and leave all this behind.”

They’d talked about it in the past. While Jimmy was never really sure he would ever be able to give up this life, he knew that he wanted Stan in any way he could have him. Fuck, he really was head over heels for the kid.

“Just do this one thing for me and then I’ll make sure that you never have to do it again.”

Stan bit his lip, swallowing as his eyes trailed over the piles. This was serious. If he was caught, his life- any chance to redeem himself- was over. He’d be just as bad as everyone thought he was. Stan didn’t want to be a regret or a mistake anymore. But as he turned his head and looked into Jimmy’s eyes, he saw what had made him fall in love in the first place. He’d do this for them, for their life together.

“Okay, I’ll do it.”

Jimmy breathed out a sigh of relief, pulling Stan in for a small kiss.

"Thank you.” He mumbled, pressing their foreheads together. “Just get it to Spokane, okay? After that our job is done and we can leave, I promise.”

If only it could be that simple.


End file.
